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Rhaphiostylis beninensis is a scrambling evergreen shrub or liana from tropical African rainforest margins, climbing 10 to 15 m or occasionally forming a small tree. It is grown mainly in tropical gardens, and care guidance is general since it is rarely cultivated as a houseplant.
Rhaphiostylis beninensis is a woody, sprawling or scrambling glabrous, evergreen shrub or liane native to Tropical Africa, belonging to the family Metteniusaceae, and one of 3 species in the genus Rhaphiostylis. It is traditionally used as an anti-inflammatory by the Bantu people of Africa.
Occasionally forming thickets, it is found in or on the margins of rain-forest, where, as a climber, it reaches 10-15m in height, and rarely as a free-standing tree 5-8m. Its bark is smooth and dark grey, while young branches are reddish-brown to purple. Leaves are alternate and elliptic-lanceolate in shape with acuminate apex. Flowers in axillary clusters, white and fragrant. Fruit flattened and sub-reniform, persistent lateral style, reticulate or wrinkled, bright red turning black when ripe.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Rhaphiostylis beninensis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
